“Mary Illes is perfectly cast as Dona Lucia d’Alvadorez.”
— Theatermania.com- Michael Portantiere, August 2004.
“Rebecca Luker was on vacation, but Mary Illes, as Marian the librarian, is just fine. And what a gorgeous voice she possesses! ”
— Talkin' Broadway.com
“While everyone else wisely stands back, the only cast member who truly stares down Mr. Racey is Mary Illes, who plays the real Charley’s Aunt. In keeping with her role, she doesn’t compete with Mr. Racey on his own terms, and while he is frenetically stealing every inch of the scene he can get his hands on, Ms. Illes responds with chic skepticism. She embodies the restrained approach to Mr. Racey’s exertion, the cool to his hot.”
— NY Times, Campbell Robertson: August 2004, Review of "Where's Charley" at Goodspeed.
“Mrs. Erlynne is played by the steely Mary Illes. Ms. Illes is the show’s center of gravity. The rest of the cast flutters around her.”
— New York Times
“Mary Illes makes the sinister Mrs. Erlynne both glamorous and sweet-voiced.”
— The Village Voice
“Mary Illes is a splendidly seductive Mrs. Erlynne, dressed in red and more than able to live up to it. ”
— The Wall Street Journal
“Mary Illes has enormous dignity and emotional restraint as a fallen woman.”
— The Daily News
“Mary Illes has both the musical chops for the role and enough dramatic know-how to suggest the emotional conflicts that make the character so intriguing. And in her bold red gown, with her chin held high, she cuts a splendid figure as a sophisticated woman of the world. ”
